The Collectif contre l’Islamophobie en France reports that last Thursday night a halal butchers at Chalon-sur-Saône in eastern France was defaced with Islamophobic graffiti. When the owners went to the police to file a complaint on Friday morning they found that other businesses had been similarly targeted.
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen will not block the visit of Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders, claiming Australia is robust enough to withstand his strong anti-Islamist views.
Socialist youth movement Blitz demonstrated against SIAN’s demonstration in front of the parliament building on Saturday. On one occasion, two groups attempted to confront, but police stopped them quickly and arrested four people.
The festival that has become a staple in the tight-knit Orange County Arabic community for nearly 20 years has become a place of protest outside the event gates but inside, the party goes on.
The Scottish Defence League (SDL) held a static protest outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, while Unite Against Fascism organised its own counter-protest. Police said that around 60 people attended the SDL event, which lasted for around 45 minutes. The majority arrived by coach.
Meanwhile Unite Against Fascism said its march from the City Chambers on the Royal Mile to the Parliament attracted over 300 people. Police put the figure at around 250.
Police clashed with members of the English Defence League during protests in Walsall town centre today.
During speeches given by leaders of the EDL, the crowd surged towards police lines on Leicester Street. Officers with riot gear used batons and shields to hold back the demonstrators. Scores of missiles – including bricks, bottles and litter bins – were hurled at police.
At 3pm officers cleared Lichfield Street with a shields charge as members of the EDL were herded on to buses to transport them away from the town centre.
West Midlands Police said they have no power to ban a static protest and the right to protest peacefully was a sign of a healthy democracy.
More than 1,000 rallied Friday night in Dearborn against the anti-Islam movie that has sparked protests around the world. Organized by Arab-American leaders, the rally was the third protest in metro Detroit over the movie, the biggest one yet.
“Say No to Hate-Mongering, Say No to Islamophobia,” read a large banner at the rally in Dearborn’s civic center, the Ford Performing Arts & Community Center. On the podium was a sign that read: “We (heart symbol) Prophet Muhammad.”
The protests, marathon public hearings and years of meeting in homes and business parks were just memories Friday afternoon.
That’s when members of the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the upcoming start of construction on its long-in-the-works mosque project.
The mosque, which will be built in two phases, will be the center’s first permanent home for its members, who have worshiped in members’ homes and commercial areas in both Temecula and Murrieta.
“This is a glorious day. A day to celebrate. Be proud to be in America, a Muslim in America,” said Emad Rasheed, the center’s chairman, addressing a cheering group of the center’s members.
A 21-year-old Rochdale man and a 16-year-old youth from Stockport have been locked up by a judge for their part in disturbances involving English Defence League supporters at the Eureka Museum in Halifax.
The Collectif contre l’Islamophobie en France reports a graffiti attack on a mosque at Vandoeuvre in north-eastern France. The word “Israel” in Hebrew has been sprayed onto the doors along with a Star of David and “LDJ” – the initials of the Ligue de défense juive (Jewish Defence League), the extreme right-wing Kahanist movement whose UK section is headed by former EDL Jewish Division leader Roberta Moore. No doubt this act of desecration would meet with her enthusiastic approval.